( At left): Scenes from this year’ s fifth grade production of Matteo, based on Matilda the Musical. The London production of Matilda Ms. Myette attended was“ a masterclass in how physical energy and emotional openness can co-exist,” leading her to ask herself:“ are we challenging our students enough?”
Above: A scene from the 2025 production of Fractured Fairy Tales
first appeared in full. And yet the emotional core of the piece was not the spectacle but the story: two young girls navigating fear, wonder, and the illness of their mother. I sat in that theatre with tears streaming down my face, and I was far from alone. My Neighbour Totoro set a new benchmark in my mind for what theatre can aspire to be: technically brilliant and humanly moving in equal measure.
I returned to New York with pages of notes, a camera roll full of set and costume reference images, and a head buzzing with possibility. This year, our performing arts program will reflect what I saw and felt in London. We will work harder on ensemble. We will take more creative risks. We will ask our students to be braver— and we will give them material worthy of their courage.
The grant that made this trip possible was an investment not just in one teacher ' s professional development, but in every boy who will stand on our stage in the years to come. I am profoundly grateful for it. The West End gave me a gift. Now it ' s my turn to give it back. •
Oliver and Alice in Wonderland were two of five London musicals that provided Ms. Myette with new ideas, inspiration, and a renewed sense of creative ambition for the productions staged at Saint David’ s.
Meg Myette is Choral Director and Music Teacher at Saint David’ s School.
44 • Saint David’ s Magazine